The socio-cultural organisation ANHAD is collaborating with hundreds of national networks and secular and democratic groups to launch a unique "#MereGharAakeToDekho" (Visit my home, be my guest) campaign of inter-community visits across the country on Independence Day to combat the growing atmosphere of hate.

The target is to ensure one lakh families spread across the country visit each other on August 15 and set in motion an effort to foster love and understanding among different communities.

"We meet at least one family who is not from our religion/ caste/ class/ sexual orientation/ region/ linguistic background. Following this meeting we extend an invite to the host family to our own home," the organisers said in a media statement issued jointly by social activists Mridula Mukherjee, Shabnam Hashmi, Leena Dabiru and others from ANHAD.

"The objective is simple — people visit the home of someone from another community, spend a few hours with them, and share water, tea or meal together," Hashmi said. "This modest act, we believe, will go a long way in breaking existing socially constructed barriers," she added.

Selfies of the meetings will be paired on different social media platforms with the hashtag "MereGharAakeToDekho" to celebrate "#AzadiTogether".

“Though the emphasis is on visiting homes of each other, at places where personal visits are not possible, our partner groups will be facilitating programmes to bring different communities together in public spaces, to carry and share meals, and to talk, sing, dance and experience each other’s life world,” the organisers said.

The campaign is from August 15 to January 30, 2024, but the endeavour of the organisers is to keep it going for a longer period to spread love and understanding among communities, the organisers said.